Khorasan wheat (Triticum turanicum) is an ancient cereal which probably originates from the Fertile Crescent. It is probably a natural hybrid between Triticum durum and Triticum polonicum. The ears and grains of this type of wheat are longer than in modern wheat (Triticum aestivum).
Khorasan is not widely cultivated. It has been grown at small scales in the Near East, Central Asia and Northern Africa, but has hardly been cultivated commercially. In recent years it has been getting some interest on the health food market. Since 1990 it has been registered under the trade name Kamut.
Names
Scientific
Triticum turanicum
Synonym
Triticum turgidum ssp. turanicum
Triticum turgidum x polonicum
English
Khorasan wheat
Oriental wheat
Dutch
Kamut
Khorasantarwe
French
Blé de Khorasan
German
Khorasan-Weizen
Italian
Frumento orientale
Grano Khorasan
Grano turanicum
Taxonomy
Genus
Triticum
Family
Poaceae
Order
Poales
Crop categories
Cereals
Food crops
Temperate crops